Growing up in The Bahamas, I remember my grandmother’s asue. There weren’t any banks where she lived on the island of Inagua, and even if there had been, it wasn’t customary for women to frequent them. To adapt, women (and sometimes men) formed their own informal savings groups, known as asues. As her group’s custodian, my grandmother collected a weekly contribution from participants who would then withdraw money on special occasions to cover school fees or larger purchases.

Asues,susus or panderos, as they are known in Spanish-speaking countries, promote financial education, savings, social inclusion and investment, and in Latin America and the Caribbean they are still alive and well. In fact, 18 percent of people in the region still seek loans from family, friends or informal lenders.

However, for companies on a growth trajectory, these informal options may not be enough. To improve their access to finance, I look to the banking sector for solutions.

If an emerging firm wants to buy cutting-edge technology, invest in research and development or expand its skilled labor, its first port of call is usually a bank. Yet, while 45 percent of firms in Latin America and the Caribbean use banks to finance working capital, in The Bahamas, it’s only 15 percent.

Banks can be powerful engines of development, but there is still untapped potential for downscaling and product diversification. By creating new financial products that promote social inclusion and environmental sustainability, banks can help firms grow while increasing their own profits. The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) currently supports more than 1 million micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) through its portfolio of 198 transactions with financial institutions.

After securing financing, the next step for a firm is finding equity investments. That, however, is far from the norm. Regionally, investments financed by equity hover around 4%, and in The Bahamas, that number is halved. The IIC is increasing its product offerings in this segment – both through funds and direct capital investments.

The third step in a company’s growth is to diversify funding via fixed-income markets. Fixed income provides firms with a diversity of maturities, interest rates, ticket sizes and risk profiles depending on their circumstances. Longer tenors are especially critical to firms in agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors.

While private debt issuance in local markets has recovered since its low in 2008, it is still a third of what you find in developed markets like the US. One challenge is that any issuance with a rating lower than a local AAA generally struggles to access markets. And most of our region’s private debt is creditworthy but not AAA. The more bonds are issued, the more references we have to price future securities.

One last step in a company’s growth trajectory is a listing on the local stock exchange, where investors can purchase shares and take equity positions. The Mercado Integrado Latinoamericano (MILA) is the association of stock exchanges of Chile, Colombia and Peru. Together the three exchanges (and soon Mexico) aim to give investors a greater supply of securities, issuers and sources of funding. In the Caribbean, IPOs have benefited GraceKennedy, Commonwealth Bank, and Goddard’s Enterprises. Yet, the reality is that only very few companies get there.

So how do we smooth the path for companies?

In order to strengthen access to financing, we first need to deepen local capital markets. This is especially important for Caribbean family-owned businesses, many of which have comparative advantages and growth potential but remain wary of public audits, ownership, and scrutiny.

Second is testing new structures. The IIC is increasing participation of institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds and impact investors in its projects. Social impact bonds could bring trillions from investors seeking sound investments that boost social and environmental sustainability.

And finally, we maintain an active dialogue with governments through the public sector of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which helps us address regulatory issues and create an environment conducive to private-sector development.

Companies in the Caribbean have come a long way from local asues to where they are today. Our goal is to keep enabling their growth while scaling up our efforts to create positive impact.

Xaymaca is the Taino name for Jamaica which translates into “land of wood and water” but how much wood and how much water does Jamaica have today?

The Forestry Department figured out a way to teach enthusiastic hikers about the state of forests and watershed management in Jamaica. Every year, a challenging hike is organized in March to explore trails around our world renowned Blue Mountains, named as such because of the azure haze that settles around its peaks. The timing of the hike is also aligned to the observance of International Day of Forests on March 21.

Last week, three of us daredevils at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Country Office in Jamaica signed up to participate in the hike as part of the calendar activities of the Corporate Sustainability Program (CSP). The 2016 Forest Trek, as the Forestry Department calls it, was a 20km roundtrip hike starting in the parish of Portland, walking uphill past several coffee farms, to the Cinchona Botanical Gardens located at 5,000 feet above sea level in the Blue Mountains Forest Reserve.

Enthusiastic and packed with all kinds of power bars, we showed up at the check point ready to walk through the forest and enjoy the panoramic views of the mountain ridges and surrounding forest areas.

Over 55% of Jamaica’s terrain can be described as hilly or mountainous. This feature of its landscape and its extensive network of rivers give Jamaica a distinct beauty for which it is world famous. The entire island may be considered a watershed based on its topography and hydrology.

While we made our way through the limestone forests of the John Crow and Blue Mountains we learned that much of the forest land is on steep or rugged terrain with little access. Because of inaccessibility, only about 26% of the natural forests can contribute to sustained timber production. The prospects for industrial uses of domestic timber for major forest products are minimal. However, according to the National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA), the use of mangroves and other species from the high forest for fuelwood and charcoal manufacture has been of considerable negative environmental effect, particularly as it relates to watershed degradation.

An approximate of 480 hikers participated in the 7th staging of the Forest Trek 2016

In Jamaica 19 watershed management units have been declared in critical state, highly degraded and in need of remedial work to return to an acceptable state. The main threats are deforestation due to the clearing of steep and unstable slopes for the cultivation of coffee or yam sticks, road construction, charcoal burning, timber extraction, grazing and cropping. Not to mention, climate change related threats such as changes in rainfall patterns, changes in humidity and evaporation rates, increasing damage from storms and hurricanes, increased frequency and intensity of bush fires and changes to microclimates are also negatively impacting the forests.

Hikers learned about different species of trees like the Eucalyptus

It is no wonder that the Forestry Department has recommended that all remaining dry forests island-wide should be set aside for uses compatible with conservation and forest restoration.

It was clear to us that water and forestry need to be brought into the full sustainable development framework. After all, forests and trees are essential for managing the planet’s water. That is the reason for which IDB programs, such as the Adaptation Program and Financial Mechanisms under the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR,) are focusing efforts on the implementation of critical adaptation measures around the Rio Minho Watershed, which is one of the most severely degraded watersheds on the island. Special emphasis is on land conservation, agroforestry, reforestation and climate smart agriculture, among others.

Terry-Ann Coley-Graham, Country Office Jamaica and Anaitée Mills from the Climate Change Division, IDB, are seen here about to cross a water drain from the mountain.

As we completed this long and interesting trek, we understood the importance of creating the right activities to educate and raise awareness among the population, and also the need for close collaboration between development partners and state agencies in the timely implementation of these and other programs for thecountry´s long term benefit before it is too late.

*Therese Turner-Jones is the General Manager of the Caribbean Country Department at the Inter-American Development Bank. View her TED-style talk at the IDB-IIC Annual Governors’ Meeting that was held in The Bahamas (April 2016) here.

Development is not about economic growth but rather about creating freedom, helping people flourish, and simply making them happy. This is not a new concept.

The West Indies Under-19 cricket team triumphed in the World Cup earlier in the year and the senior West Indies cricket teams had outstanding victories obtaining both male and female world championships. These wins were even more compelling because of the joy its residents felt, including a sense of unity as Caribbean people.

Lately, for a mix of tourism and commodity-dependent small countries, the region’s fortunes have been limited given overwhelming circumstances: brain drain, falling terms of trade, vulnerability to commodity prices, drugs and crime, and rapid globalization. Competitiveness and better prospects for Caribbean people will be key.

As the largest multilateral lender in the Caribbean, the IDB is seriously committed to supporting the region’s quest for development. The Bank’s lending programme, in six Caribbean countries, as a share of GDP is 10 times more than in larger economies. The Bank has provided more than US$3.8 billion in lending over the past five years and seeks to deepen this engagement over the next few years.

This April, the IDB celebrated its first annual meeting in the Caribbean in more than three decades. We used this moment to renew our commitment and to hone our strategy for tackling development in the region. After all, we strive to improve lives in the Caribbean by creating vibrant economies where people are safe, productive, and happy. Some considerations in this regard include:

-An economy that is vibrant is one where the rules of the game are clear, capable people find work, and the vulnerable are protected.

-Safety is important for economic growth and prosperity. Recent analyses in our latest quarterly bulletin suggest that a reduction in violent crime would boost growth. What happens in the home plays an important role in these outcomes. Evidence shows that by being more engaged with their children, parents can significantly reduce the likelihood of their children getting involved in destructive behaviour. The Bank’s victimization surveys enables us to understand factors that may protect or put individuals at risk of crime, identify vulnerable groups, estimate the magnitude of unreported crimes and gauge the effects of crime on people. In addition, the Bank is partnering with several Caribbean countries to finance crime-reduction programs and social intervention including parenting support, antiviolence initiatives, and after-school programs. However, we can do more.

-Productivity-driven growth is more sustainable. Linked to enhancing our productivity is the overall levels of unemployment and underemployment. One-quarter of Caribbean youth are unemployed, more than three times the unemployment rate for Caribbean adults. Unemployment at an early age reduces employment options and earnings later in life, leads to lower productivity levels, and may contribute to higher social unrest. Delivering better trained people, enhancing efficiency in the public service, using appropriate technologies and reducing skills mismatch can boost productivity. None of these areas is foreign to the work that the IDB is doing with it counterparts in the field. Again, the Bank wishes to do more.

-Development means happy people. There is room to make residents happier. One way of tackling this is by thinking together about how to promote equality of opportunity.

Our cricket champions kept the whole region engaged and united. The 15 individuals and the supporting cast of managers, coaches, and trainers thought, planned, prepared and, as a team, executed plans on the field with focus and passion. Their success resulted in making us all very happy. The parallel to development is here. It is hard work and it is created together. The IDB wants to find ways to stay engaged with the Caribbean as we think, plan and execute together. Just as in cricket, we are in the business of making people happy.

]]>http://gleanerblogs.com/caribdevtrendsplus/?feed=rss2&p=4680US Supreme Court: One Less Known Example of How a Supreme Court Decision, Shapes Up Judiciary Reality in the Caribbeanhttp://gleanerblogs.com/caribdevtrendsplus/?p=465
http://gleanerblogs.com/caribdevtrendsplus/?p=465#commentsFri, 15 Apr 2016 15:08:17 +0000http://gleanerblogs.com/caribdevtrendsplus/?p=465by Robert Pantzer

“These are young people who made mistakes that aren’t that different than the mistakes I made and the mistakes that a lot of you guys made. What distinguishes many convicts is a lack of support and second chances.” Barack Obama

Not too long a time ago, the 2011 “Brown v. Plata” sharply split 5:4 the US Supreme Court, when it affirmed a lower court case ruling that the California corrections system was violating civil rights laws and therefore was violating the Eighth Amendment which provides a constitutional guarantee against “cruel and unusual punishments.” The Supreme Court Decision had to be carried out at the State and Governor’s level.[1]

While in his first term as governor of California, in 1976 “Jerry” Brown Jr. signed into law the “determinate” sentencing bill that set fixed lengths of time that had to be served before an inmate could be considered for parole. Now, almost 40 years later, Governor Brown has announced he’ll work to get a ballot initiative before state voters in November 2016 to undo parts of the law he signed, allowing earlier parole eligibility and consideration of a prisoner’s behavior behind bars. In making his announcement, Brown estimated the change could give new hope of early release to thousands of prisoners now incarcerated.

But what was decided at the Supreme Court level and translated into a new incarceration policy at the US state level is receiving more and more attention in the Caribbean and Latin American countries. The penitentiaries in those countries are actually plagued by the same issues as their equivalents in the US.

The tranquil country of The Commonwealth of Bahamas: a tourist destination, which is renowned for year round sunshine and beautiful beaches, is becoming more known for high levels of crime. The Bahamas is also home to a large prison population relative to global levels. Currently, the country’s incarceration rate is 379 per 100,000 inhabitants, which is significantly higher than the average global incarceration rate of 144 per 100,000. At 162.4% of their capacity, Bahamian prisons hold approximately 1,506 inmates at an annual cost of US$14,000 per inmate. Forty-two percent of prisoners have not been convicted of a crime but are being held while awaiting trial.

Part of the problem is that The Bahamas sends a high number of nonviolent, low-level drug and property offenders to prison and keeps them there. When they are released, many are not assisted with rebuilding their lives, so they quickly return to crime, ending up behind bars again and costing the state more money. The government has acknowledged that by just locking away young individuals, for crimes associated with drug use and firearm possession will not solve the problem. This is the reason why the Bahamian government, seconded by the Inter-American Development Bank, hosted on February 4 and 5, in Nassau a round table comprised of international experts to discuss new ways to address the penitentiary situation by rolling out a new parole system.

As stated by the Ministry of National Security, The Hon. B.J. Nottage, in his opening remarks for this event, “Guns, drugs and gangs are the triad in our country today. Approximately 24 percent of convicted inmates upon their release will be convicted for a second crime”. The roundtable of experts in Nassau was just the beginning of a greater debate aiming at a draft law for a parole system in The Bahamas. Hopefully this draft legislation will be produced before the end of the year as an important step on the path of ultimately making hundreds of incarcerated people eligible for parole.

Finally, cutting the non-violent prison population, the same argument as used in the US around this subject, will save the Bahamian people in prison operating costs. The savings could be spent on the re-entry programs and on keeping violent and other high-risk offenders behind bars. Such re-entry system may have the potential to reduce crime while also offering a better return on public safety dollars — a unique combination. As this debate kicks off, it is important to educate and engage the public who might be resistant to these changes for the wrong reasons. If the Bahamian people desire a tough but strategic stance on crime, then this is a wise way to go.

[1] The alleged deficiencies included inadequate medical screening of incoming prisoners; delays in or failure to provide access to medical care, including specialist care; untimely responses to medical emergencies; the failure to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of competent medical staff; disorganized and incomplete medical records; a “lack of quality control procedures, including lack of physician peer review, quality assurance and death reviews”; a lack of protocols to deal with chronic illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, hepatitis, and HIV; and the failure of the administrative grievance system to provide timely or adequate responses to complaints concerning medical care.

As in other parts of the LAC region, crime and violence have deeply negative effects on businesses and individuals in the Caribbean. The IDB has supported data generation in the region using victimization surveys for individuals and businesses, the highlights of which are presented in this month’s quarterly bulletin with a special focus on crime.

This bulletin provides a preview of some key highlights from a forthcoming IDB study using new data on victimization of individuals and businesses to provide a complete picture of crime and violence in the region. The bulletin provides a regional overview and country specific crime profiles.

Key takeaways for the region include:

Crime strongly affects persons in the Caribbean. 40% of the Caribbean population identified crime and security-related issues as the main problems facing their country in 2014/2015, even above poverty, the economy or inequality.

Crime is significantly associated with reduced economic growth. One of the channels through which crime can affect growth is through its impact on the private sector. We find that crime does have a significant impact on firms in the Caribbean region.

The defining characteristic of crime in the region is the uniquely high level of violent crime. Victimization surveys show particularly high levels of assault/threat in the Caribbean, often with the use of guns. The region experiences medium levels of property crime in comparison to international capital city averages.

Victimization rates were generally higher in capital metropolitan areas than at the national level. However, the concentration in capital cities seems somewhat less pronounced in the Caribbean than in other world regions.

The Bahamas (New Providence) and Jamaica (Kingston Metropolitan Area) stand out with the highest levels of violent crime. In Trinidad and Tobago (Port of Spain Metropolitan Area) the levels of robbery and vehicle theft were also comparatively high for the region. Suriname (Paramaribo) and Barbados (Greater Bridgetown Area) show significantly lower rates in nearly all crimes.

]]>http://gleanerblogs.com/caribdevtrendsplus/?feed=rss2&p=4601Caribbean Diaspora: How Can They Finance Development in the Region?http://gleanerblogs.com/caribdevtrendsplus/?p=456
http://gleanerblogs.com/caribdevtrendsplus/?p=456#commentsFri, 26 Feb 2016 12:00:40 +0000http://gleanerblogs.com/caribdevtrendsplus/?p=456by Mark D. Wenner

The Caribbean diaspora is huge and members tend to send significant amounts of remittances back to the region to help relatives and to invest in property and family businesses. It is estimated that Caribbean migrants number 4,116,000 in the United States (1.2% of the total population and remitted approximately US$5 billion in 2013. Other countries with large populations of Caribbean migrants are Canada (2.2% of total population), United Kingdom (1% of total population), and the Netherlands (3% of the total population). Migrants in these countries also remit substantial amounts, but the largest source market is still the US.

The remittances sent home serve many purposes; (1) to smooth and support consumption patterns of dependent relatives (e.g. food expenses, medical and elderly care, school fees and supplies, clothes, rent) or mortgage payments); (2) to make investments in businesses and real estate; (3) for savings; and (4) the repayment of debts. The flows are so substantial that they exceed more than 10 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Guyana, Jamaica, and Haiti. The benefits of the remittances are clear. At the micro level, they help alleviate poverty and at the macro level, they help build foreign exchange reserves that help with balance of payments.

The homeland governments, however, tend to be fiscally constrained, suffering from mounting fiscal deficits, slow growth, and facing yawning infrastructure deficits. Many government authorities in the region would like to tap into the some of the savings of migrants. In the case of Caribbean migrants, they tend to have better income earning potentials than other migrant groups. They tend to have higher levels of education and tend to work in more white-collar positions, at least for data available in the US. Thus, Caribbean migrants are the ideal target diaspora to target for diverting some of their remittances and savings into “development finance”. One way to do it is by issuing diaspora bonds. See Box 1.

Box 1: What is a Diaspora Bond?

A Diaspora Bond is a fixed income debt instrument that targets a community of emigrants outside the home country. Even though any person or institution can purchase the bond, preferential rates or a premium are given to members of the target diaspora. Even so, the preferential terms may be less than the open market for an instrument that is not normally perceived to be of high investment grade. It has emerged as a means to obtain hard currency financing. They are typically long-dated, fixed interest rate securities that can only be redeemed upon maturity. Marketing pricing is based on the prime rate.

But issuing a diaspora bond is not easy. Only a handful of countries have done it successfully, namely Israel and India. The most important first step is to understand the earning capacity of members of the target diaspora, what are their motivations, their investment preferences and their appetite for risk so as to design and market the bonds effectively. A second step is to properly structure and price the bond. A third step is to decide how to market and retail the bond.

A recent article highlights the issues and challenges of issuing diaspora bonds and posits that the migrant’s perceptions of their homelands are paramount. If a majority of the target diaspora does not trust their homeland governments to spend the monies raised well and to make timely debt repayments, they may be reluctant to engage. Thus, while patriotic and sentimental feelings can be exploited to raise money at a lower cost, but these feelings cannot substitute fully for good governance and sound macroeconomic management of the economy. Efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the public sector, to manage fiscal affairs prudently, to control corruption, to ably implement projects, to act in credible and transparent manners count heavily.

Negative economic impacts expected if link to brain damage is proven. Best hope is that scientists find no link.

The Zika virus has arrived in the Western Hemisphere and spawned a degree of alarm not previously witnessed with previous outbreaks involving mosquito borne viral infections like dengue and chikungunya. The reason for the increased fear is the apparent link between the Zika virus and microcephaly; a birth defect in newborns characterized by abnormally small head sizes and impaired brain functions.

If an incontrovertible causal link between the viral infection and birth defects were found, this new viral outbreak could have serious economic and reproductive health care repercussions across the Americas, especially so for the Caribbean, because the region is ill equipped and fiscally constrained.

To date, most of the focus has been on travel warnings instructing foreign, non-resident pregnant women against traveling to affected jurisdictions. But little attention has been paid to the virtually incalculable economic, psychological, and health implications for resident women of childbearing age in the region. Actions to date in the Caribbean region include increased mosquito control and public calls in the case of Jamaica for women to delay pregnancies (Chai, 2016).

Likely Economic Consequences in the Caribbean

For the seventeen tourist dependent economies of the Caribbean, the likely impact will be reduced visits by pregnant women and their accompanying friends and family members. Already cruise ship lines such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival and leading airline carriers such as United, Delta and American Airlines are offering rescheduling of cruises and flights changes or cancellations free of charge. While the statistics on the number of pregnant women who travel to the Caribbean or conceive while on holiday in the region is not easily obtained, the number is assumed to be relatively low by logical deduction. In a given year in the US, the major tourism source market for the main Caribbean dependent economies (47 percent)has an average 7.1 million pregnancies. Total tourist arrivals to the Caribbean numbered 26.3 million in 2014. Accordingly, the probable share of pregnant women who traveled to the Caribbean from the main source market is likely to be of a low magnitude, given that approximately 41 percent of arrivals are either less than 18 or older than 50 years, meaning that a sizeable number of female visitors are outside of childbearing years. Therefore, the value of lost tourism receipts, while nontrivial, is likely to be much less than the morbidity costs incurred by permanent residents of affected countries and territories.

Likely Responses to the Outbreak

The policy options are limited and imperfect. Moreover, the associated costs are quite large, if a direct link is proven between Zika viral infection and birth defects is proven.

First, mosquito population control operations would have to be mounted. This may include sustained fogging campaigns, dispersal of anti-larval insecticides in standing bodies of water, draining of stagnant waters, setting traps for mosquitos, and even releasing of genetically modified sterile male Aedes aegypti mosquitos into the wild.

Second, public education campaigns would have to be launched to avoid mosquito bites. Residents would have to use more insecticide repellant, wear long sleeve clothes, and install and use mosquito nets at night to lower the incidence of mosquito bites.

Third, pregnancies should be postponed until a vaccine is developed whose development may take years, implying the use of more contraception and better access to reproductive health services. But avoiding pregnancies may be easier said than done; especially it is the region in the world that has the highest relative rate of unintended and unwanted pregnancies as a share of total pregnancies, 64 percent (Segh et. al. 2014).

The best hope is that the scientists do not find a causal link between Zika infections and microcephaly. Hopefully, the 4,180 suspected cases of microcephaly reported in Brazil since October 2015 will have some other explanatory cause. Microcephaly is known to have several causes— including infection of the fetus with rubella (German measles), cytomegalovirus or toxoplasmosis (cat-litter disease); poisoning of the fetus by alcohol, mercury or radiation; severe maternal malnutrition, diabetes, and even several gene mutations, including Down’s syndrome. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), preliminary review of data shows no correlations between Zika outbreaks and microcephaly, normally a rare disorder, in other jurisdictions. Brazil seems to be an anomaly. Scientists may need several months to determine Zika causality and better understand the virus. Until more is known, mosquito control and contact avoidance seem to be the best strategies.

The Bahamas markets itself as a Tourist destination: An archipelago of 700 islands and Cays with white sand beaches, aqua transparent water and a green and pristine environment. For the most part, this is the case. However, garbage can easily be found on road sides, and derelict vehicles in some yards, and in the nearby bushes of some areas in New Providence and the Bahamian Family Islands. Plastic containers, styrofoam plates, and cups left on beaches, are a common discovery. What is worst is that all of these items and more, can be found in the sea.

Photo by Rosemary Clarice Hanna

Moreover, the spontaneous fires at the Harold Road landfill over the last five years made management of solid waste on the island of New Providence impossible. This was unacceptable, for me personally, because the pre-school that my daughter attended would from time to time become engulfed by the thick black smoke and fumes from these fires. At best, these fires would surround the school for a few hours and at worst for two weeks. Despite the school’s efforts to keep the children in-doors or request that they be collected and stay home until the fires were contained, by the time my daughter was 3 years old she had developed asthma.

In May 2014, the Government run Harold Road Landfill came under new management and fortunately, for all of us residing in New Providence, the frequency and intensity of the landfill fires have been reduced tremendously. Renew Bahamas, the company managing the Landfill, aims to reduce the amount of solid waste that ends up in the landfill by recycling plastics, cans, cardboards, metals, paper, and glass that comes in as garbage.

Harold road landfill fire

Additionally, Renew Bahamas aims to remediate and reconstruct the landfill, transforming it into a sanitary state, which will reduce and eventually eradicate the spontaneous fires.

This enormous initiative to recycle waste and reform the landfill will require the involvement of all persons residing in The Bahamas in order for it to be sustainable. The process of recycling starts in homes, schools, business places, and similar entities. We have to sort our garbage according to the types of waste items – plastics, cans, bottles, paper & cardboard, metals. There should be specific containers outside of homes and buildings in which to put each type of waste. Specifically labeled garbage containers for each type of commonly used items should be put in public areas. Further, the waste should be collected in this separated manner in order for recycling to be sustainable.

Photo by Syreta Roberts

Organic waste such as food should be disposed of separately and collected from schools, hotels, and restaurants to be prepared for composting in order for it to be used by local farms, nurseries, stables, and national agricultural and environmental projects at the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Sciences Institute (BAMSI).

Photo by Syreta Roberts

The development of a culture for proper solid waste management must involve all people residing in The Bahamas. A national communication plan on ways to involve and at the same time educate residents on improving the management of municipal solid waste by sorting garbage in the homes, cleaning up of beaches, paying fees to properly dispose of waste that can pollute the environment and the air would go a long way in gaining Bahamian buy-in on moving away from dumping locations to sanitary landfills. We will understand that garbage left uncollected for weeks will spread diseases, contaminate water, including mangroves, which play an important role in increasing our fisheries. We will understand that our involvement in proper municipal solid waste management is linked to reducing greenhouse emissions that contribute to global warming.

The rewards of such involvement would mean a healthier land and sea environment overall, less breeding grounds for vector-borne diseases, which will all strengthen our Tourism industry. Finally, finding ways to re-use, recycle, and properly reduce solid waste, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases would make The Bahamas eligible for Carbon finance benefits.

Developing evidence-based policies, particularly in the developing world, can be difficult when reliable data are not available. Many crimes go unreported by the public, or unrecorded by the police. Victimization surveys are increasingly recognized as useful tools, but these surveys can be complex and costly, which can lead to cutting corners and producing low quality data. Because victimization surveys have unique requirements, it is easy for non-experts to wind up with a survey that may look like a crime survey, but cannot answer many of the important questions it was developed for.

A victimization survey is not the same as a “citizen security” survey. The latter is often a survey of perceptions and attitudes about crime, instead of actual individual experiences of crime. It is common to ask about both opinions and experiences in victimization surveys, but there are important differences between a victimization survey with some opinion questions and the opposite. Everyone has an opinion, so opinion surveys are much cheaper than victimization surveys. You don’t need as big a sample size to generate reliable estimates of public opinion on crime (explained further under number 3). If you’re spending the money to do a victimization survey, you should do a victimization survey. Otherwise, you shouldn’t call your survey a victimization survey and should not attempt to estimate prevalence of different crimes.

Deviating from recommended techniques and wording

Many specific survey techniques have been developed by experts in victimization surveys and it makes sense to follow them (learn more). Some techniques – such as those to increase disclosure, the placement of screener questions, question sequencing and particular question wording – have been perfected overtime. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Adopt many of these techniques and take questions directly from vetted instruments like the International Crime Victims Survey. Have a good reason if deviating from other surveys in terms of question wording or sequencing, and understand the implications (losing comparability).

Producing low quality surveys with inadequate sample sizes

Even where crime is high, it is still a fairly rare. This means that the victimization survey sample size (the amount of respondents surveyed) needs to be much larger than an average survey. The rarer the crime, the harder it is to measure. Violent crimes are less common than property crimes. So it takes a bigger sample to estimate assault than burglary. It takes an even bigger sample to ask for more information about a given crime (i.e. weapons used, relation between the victim and offender, etc.). Many so called victimization surveys include unusable questions on violent crimes based on their sample size. You can include many detailed questions, but you probably won’t have a big enough sample to use them all. Getting the right sample size means victimization surveys are far more expensive than other surveys (typically several million $US). A low budget negatively affects the outcome; low quality of data collected which is less compelling as ‘evidence’. Unfortunately, many people and government officials don’t know how to tell the difference between a good study and a poor one. Funders can really make a unique contribution by opting for good surveys of a smaller area (such as a capital city) over weak surveys of an entire country.

To the uninformed eye, the Marriott hotel erected in New Kingston, Jamaica is just a newly minted addition to the city’s towering infrastructure. But as with most things, there is more than meets the eye. Marriott was constructed in part by funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). As part of this partnership, five at-risk inner-city youth from the country’s Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) were granted six-month internships to work on that project. The CSJP programme is but one of the many “social innovation” projects that the IDB supports in Jamaica to integrate at-risk youth into the formal economy.

In Honduras, all participants were divided into groups to design a socially innovative smart-phone app to be used in the city to tackle a social problem. I was fortunately placed in Group “Naranja”. The main tenets of social innovation that we agreed were:

Identifying a problem (citizen security)

Saying why it was a problem (high crime rates);

Determining how to solve the problem (effective community participation).

Our app was called, “Juntos”. It certainly was not as easy as “abracadabra” but we won the most socially innovative prize! The above are just some of the tenets of social innovation. It does seem like a new mantle that all civil society organisations must assume to stay relevant in these increasingly challenging and dynamic times. Whether you create an app or train inner-city youth to become employable, we can no longer just advocate – we have to innovate!